Last nigt Harry "Cuby" Muskee, the (at least in Holland) legendary blues singer of Cuby and the Blizzards died at the age of 70 in Rolde (Netherlands)

Biography

Muskee was born during the war in the Wilhelmina Hospital in Assen. At first he lived with his mother at his grandmother because his father was captured and transported to Germany.Only after the war when he was four years old, he saw his father for the first time. The family moved to Rotterdam, but returned after two years to Assen. His mother had multiple sclerosis and could not properly care for her child. Because his father, who was fire chief was home all day, his grandmother largelytook care of Muskee .At the age of ten Muskee became member of the soccerclub Achilles 1894 and at fifteen he went for the first guitar lessons. At high school he came into contact with jazz and Dixieland. Together with the brothers Henk and Jaap Hilbrandie he founded the band The Mixtures. From this band The Old Fashioned Jazz Group was formed . The band played mostly at school dances in Assen.

By listening to the American Forces Network radio station for U.S. soldiers stationed in nearby Germany, Muskee came into contact with blues music. When he discovered the recordalbum Live at Newport by John Lee Hooker , he decided that he wanted to make this kind of music too.In 1961, when Muskee 20 was years old, his mother died. A year later his grandmother died.Not long after that Muskee broke through with The Blizzards.After the breakup of Cuby + Blizzards he toured around with formations like Red White 'n Blue, the Harry Muskee Band, Gang and the Muskee Muskee. Ultimately, the original name Cuby + Blizzards proved to be the most catchy and under this name, assisted by the Groningen guitarist Erwin Java, Muskee toured many years around the world.In addition, he presented music programs on Radio Drenthe and he made a study for the same channel through the southern states of the United States in search of the roots of the blues.In 1997, On the initiative of the Frisian deputy Gerard van Klaveren, a statue of Harry and Muskee was erected in Grolloo.Muskee died in Rolde on September 26, 2011 due to the effects of cancer.